[dreamy]

i had the great honor of photographing my friend's sweet baby girl yesterday!
isn't she dreamy? i had so much fun!

go here to see more very soon!

[queen of the prom]

my cute mom ordered this sweet barbie "queen of the prom" board game... a replica of the original 1961 game.
she played it as a little girl with her grandmother and was so excited to find that she could buy it and play it with her granddaughters!

it's a really cute game!

the goal is to become the prom queen while earning money, finding a boyfriend, going steady, buying a prom dress and winning the throne. too cute! thanks for the great game last night marmie!

the girls just l.o.v.e.d. it!

go here to see more. this would make a great gift!

[pull this thread as i walk away]

my daughter is obsessed with this little tweed dress coat of hers! she's always prancing around the house in suit while holding her babies.

as we headed into church last sunday and noticed this wardrobe malfunction, my heart sank for a second...
will she notice? will she have a mini come apart?
thankfully only a few of us noticed & i new i should probably fix it quick. worst case scenario i just snip off the white thread and just let her keep wearing it as is.

a thought popped into my mind, just make both sides match!
not wanting to un-thread the left side, i decided i would make a million & one uses out of a sharpie!

a little black magic, and ta-da! it worked! giddy up!
oh happy day!
please share any sharpie stories you may have with me! i'd love to hear them! did you know there is a sharpie blog?

weezer's undone here

[particle graham]

upon dusting our powdery particle filled chandelier which hangs above our breakfast table, i spotted this fun little surprise, a snack for later! lying beneath the bulbs, several teddy graham bears were forced into fake baking! i don't even want to know how long the little honey men have been up there! embarrassing!
once again, i am reminded that i am smack dab in the middle of parenthood... little time for dusting, lots of time for play!
i am also refreshed at how wonderful the little minds of toddlers work!

do you remember this song?
oh yeah!

[like a bird]

early this morning before waking the children, i peared out the front windows like usual to spy more thick fog. somehow beautiful, i didn't mind the blanket of white today. it almost seemed mystical and mysterious. the unknown sent chills through my body. what lies beyond?

as the sun began to peek in, like me through my window, i had a feeling today would be great!
blue skies and fluffy whites caught my eye as i drove my little one to preschool just now.
then suddenly off to my left i spotted this breathtaking cloud formation.



.a big white bird.
frantically grabbing my phone, i just had to capture this spectacle. i had never seen anything like it before. speaking peace and hope to my heart, this gorgeous sight was a small symbol of our many bounteous blessings. i immediately thought of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that he has done for me.

may we fluff our feathers, take flight & soar!
there is much good to be made today!

[squeeze]

my citrus obsession continues as i squirt fresh ruby red juice onto my spoon.
ooh, they're so fresh, tart and delicious!
i've decided to take advantage their abundance while they are in season.
i didn't realize these marvelous beauties have caner fighting phytochemicals and are also found to reduce cholesterol.
it's been a long time since i'd eaten one and i've forgotten how much i love them!
i also didn't know that certain citrus flavonoids exhibit anti-inflammatory effects as well. these pink pearls are also doted as a secret weight-loss weapon & superfood. they are high in fiber and have a low glycemic load.
oh, and i can't fail to mention that a half a grapefruit only has 39 calories!
go grapefruit!

information found in sunflower farmers market magazine & your total health

[moved on?]

.apparently i have a tough time taking Christmas down.
i do love it all, but i am completely over it by now. springtime & strappy sandals can come!
yep, our tree is still up & lit (one of the perks to having an artificial one i guess)
it's time!



one small problem...
i can't get into our storage room because it is a catastrophe!
we have clothes and bins everywhere!
are you feeling the rage? i've been trying to sort out the kids clothes to store now for months, and i am totally & literally in over my head.
i need to spend some serious time organizing so i can physically get to our Christmas boxes.

all day saturday we worked downstairs. we sorted through old boxes of yearbooks, jr. high binders, jr. high clothing we've held on to all these years - kidding!!!
no, almost that bad though!
i tend to hold on to my universe for sentimental value sake.
well, i turned a corner and relinquished a heap!
it feels good! don't worry folks, i saved my favorites :)
we filled up an entire trailer full of boxes, clothes, garbage, and more. we may as well moved!
and we still haven't touched the kids clothes - our largest nemesis.

how does one, or five, accrue so much stuff?
another new year's resolution i just now made: stop buying crap!

p.s. i never did hear from mary :( i probably should have given her a "shout out" earlier
sorry, not too bright today

[raisin healthy kids]

my friends frequently tell me how lucky i am to have such great little eaters.
and ya know, i am dang lucky! when it comes to mealtime, my kids will eat just about everything. there are a few things they don't enjoy, but for the most part, we can at least convince them to take a few bites - making it pretty simple to feed them nutritious foods successfully.

so since i've been on my big health kick, it's been nice to have them actually eat what i fix! lately i find my brain and body continually in the kitchen thinking and preparing meals... as if i wasn't in the kitchen enough already!
so please forgive me if all i talk about lately is diet. it really is just so fascinating to me!

knowledge is power! as i learn more about vitamins and minerals, sugars and carbohydrates, it is so much easier to eat better! -you're probably saying "gag!" right about now lol!

seriously, we have fun talking to our kids about how
•vitamin a is helpful for our eyes and how not having enough of it can lead to night blindness (that's right, scare them into it) and of course, it's good for beautiful hair!
•vitamin b helps our teeth, cheeks and gums
•vitamin c is great for our skin and fighting colds, and again, good hair
•vitamin d is helpful for our bones and their growth
•vitamin e helps our heart stay strong and healthy, and of course lovely hair
etc.

they love asking "is this healthy?" and i love it! i really believe that in the case with my kids, by keeping a running food dialogue and teaching them, definitely helps the little ones to be more agreeable and at least try to eat new foods.

signing off,
wannabe nutritionist

[are you there?]

so my dear blogging friend mary from the fresh notes sadly disappeared. she suddenly shut her blog down without any notice :( this has been several months ago and i just miss her & her blog!

dear mary,

i don't know if you visit here anymore, but if you do, hello! what happened to you? are you okay? i miss all of your great posts! i just can't bring myself to remove your link... in hopes you may return!

i learned this great tip from her and i thought i would share:
wash, chop, spin and store your lettuce right in your salad spinner.
throw it (or place it) in your fridge and every time you don't feel like making a salad due to time constraints, no more excuses... it's ready to go!
and if you feel like it needs a little refreshing, quickly rinse the lettuce again, spin & serve. genius!

thanks mary! if you see this, i hope to hear from you!

in effort to eat better, i whipped up this awesome tuna salad in a snap.
simple and delicious, this salad tasted so good!

1 heart of romaine, washed & torn
1 handful of baby spinach leaves, washed
1 packet or can of chunk light tuna, drained
1 tomato
1 green onion, chopped
1 avacado (optional)
drizzle of light balsamic vinegar dressing, i like newman's own
squeeze of fresh lemon & lime juice

and can i just say, can there be anything better than a fresh lemon?
your assignment for the week, if you choose to accept it, is to buy some fresh lemons & limes and incorporate them into your cooking :) they make everything taste so wonderful!
just to slice one and sniff the little baby makes my day!
these dark and cold weeks need a little lemon lift!

back to the salad, i was amazed at how satisfying and fresh it was.
nutritious and protein packed, this will be a regular around here!
enjoy!

[2010]

.this is chad.
.our great old neighbor & friend.
.and his sweet goggs.
.worn prior to the new year.

.these are the bennetts.
.more great old neighbors & friends.

we stayed in for a nice, cozy, relaxing new years with these 3!
the martinelli's they brought to share was definitely the party pleaser!
we had good intentions of playing games or watching a good flick, but ended up chatting and laughing the night away instead...
it's always a treat to be in their company!

was their adorable little man tired or tipsy? he he

thanks for a smashing night guys!

bowling was the name of the game this new year's day!
sam's cute parents traditionally treat the whole crew and then put on a wonderful party at their home to follow.
we had such a great time all together!

a few b&w holiday closeups here

[avatar]

can i just vent for a moment?
is anyone else bugged by the fact that toy makers are producing movie character novelties from PG13 shows?

this avatar dude was last week's mcdonalds happy meal toy.

granted, we didn't have to buy the happy meal or could have told them to hold the toy, but that's the big fun with happy meals!

it's not such a big deal with girls, but little boys love these action figures and many times end up seeing these shows because of them when they are way too young. anyway, i admit i am guilty of buying such toys on occasion too...

i'm just sayin'!


on a brighter note...



did you know that celery wrapped in tin foil lasts twice as long?
it really does!
i learned that from martha stewart back in the day :)

crunch. crunch.

[newness]

happy new year!!!

full of fresh starts, new outlooks, goals, hopes, dreams, resolutions and so much more, this is gonna be good! i am optimistic heading into 2010! i am certain it will be a good year! i believe it truly is what we make of it.

2009 was difficult for a lot of people, us included when sam lost his job. panicked and terrified, i knelt down on my knees and thanked my Heavenly Father for all we had been blessed with and pleaded for help knowing that he would hear our prayers and somehow take care of us.

sam said that right after he was given the bad news, he decided he could either be scared, bitter and depressed, or he could be excited for a new opportunity. gratefully, he chose to be excited and postive about the whole thing... if not, i think i would have wigged out much much more than i did :) yes, i freaked at first, and then a few more mini freak outs to follow. but all in all, we were fine.
we were amazed at how okay we were during this scary time and how the Lord incredibly provided for us! our little family pulled together and we learned a lot.
thankfully sam found a new job fairly quickly and everything worked out even for the better.

how are you going to make 2010 brighter?
do you have any new years resolutions?
i usually always make a big long list each year with great intentions...
many of them aren't completely met, but hey, at least i try! a few of mine this year include:
1. playing with & teaching my kids more 2. cooking and eating more nutritional foods
3. increase my spirituality 4. give more love 5. pay more compliments
i won't bore you with the rest :)

so, i have had this blog now for 8 months and i've really enjoyed it!
it's been great for me to reflect on all the "brightsides" in my life and the lives of others.
i plan to continue with this little hobby and hopefully brighten your day too as i have fun with it :)

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so, i meant to post this a couple of days ago, but we were too busy partying!

my favorite old song in 2009:
come undone by duran duran - so good played loud while cruisin' on the road listen here


my top two favorite new songs found in 2009:
one voice by the wailin' jennys - so great played loud anywhere! listen here
party in the USA by miley cyrus watch here
for whatever reason, i just love it! it's just upbeat and fun!

whatever you are doing today, enjoy!
i will be organizing our master closet, hopefully exercise, and probably playing barbies and racing cool cars on the kid's new race track! sam will be out with the "boys" and a few girls blowing up ice bombs and shooting guns in the west desert! good times, good times!